Yesterday, in his remarks at a governor’s conference in Philadelphia, President-elect Barack Obama made it clear that the risk the economic downturn poses to our country’s heritage has not gone unnoticed – he included the closure of historic sites in a list of the difficult choices being made on the state level. (The mention comes at 2:27 in the video below.)

California, Illinois, and New Jersey are not alone in having their state parks and historic sites threatened by the economic downturn – it’s a nationwide situation. Share what’s happening where you live below.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

Sarah Heffern is the social media strategist for the National Trust’s Public Affairs team. While she embraces all things online and pixel-centric, she’s also a hard-core building hugger, having fallen for preservation in a fifth grade “Built Environment” class. Follow her on Twitter at @smheffern.

Earlier this week, my colleague Patrice Frey wrote a post about the intense summit held recently at Pocantico in Tarrytown, NY "to discuss the future of historic preservation in light of global warming, and specifically the implications of climate change for preservation policy." In her post, Patrice mentioned that the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Richard Moe, would be introducing the six principles that summarize the outcome of that meeting at this week's Greenbuild conference in Boston.

This speech, entitled Historic Preservation and Green Building: Finding Common Ground, will be streamed live online later this morning (November 20) from 8:00-9:30 a.m. EST on this page on the Greenbuild site. So, while you enjoy your morning coffee or check your email, tune in to hear about the important relationship between preservation and sustainability. After all, why just recycle cans and bottles, when you can also recycle buildings!

Sarah Heffern is the social media strategist for the National Trust’s Public Affairs team. While she embraces all things online and pixel-centric, she’s also a hard-core building hugger, having fallen for preservation in a fifth grade “Built Environment” class. Follow her on Twitter at @smheffern.

Here at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, we take pride in the fact that we have supporters of all political stripes. A love of, and respect for, the places that matter to us as people and as a nation transcends ideology; historic preservation is a cause that has room for everyone. And just as President-Elect Obama last night told the nation that he'd work to be everyone's president -- even of those whose votes he didn't receive -- we also want to be a preservation organization that speaks for all of us.

We've crafted a preservation platform that we will soon deliver to the transition team. Take our platform survey now to make your voice heard in our goals for our new administration.

Last night, Barack Obama made history. Every day, with your help, we work to save it.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

Sarah Heffern is the social media strategist for the National Trust’s Public Affairs team. While she embraces all things online and pixel-centric, she’s also a hard-core building hugger, having fallen for preservation in a fifth grade “Built Environment” class. Follow her on Twitter at @smheffern.

In the midst of our current hotly-contested presidential election, it's no surprise that politics is on everyone's mind -- including preservationists. Katie Eggers Comeau at the Landmark Society of Western New York has written a great, nonpartisan post about politics and preservation:

After all, historic preservation ties into issues that candidates on both sides hold dear: it’s about strengthening local economies and creating local jobs, revitalizing historic downtowns and neighborhoods, conserving a unique sense of place, protecting the environment, and protecting and promoting the places that have contributed to our national character over the generations.

Preservation New Jersey shares the stories of two specific sites that are threatened and draws connections between the budget woes in the Garden State and recent concerns that have left sites in California and Illinois similarly at risk.

The Governor and Administration have warned fans and supporters of state historic sites and parks that new sources of non-tax revenue must be found in order to keep these important places open and available to NJ citizens.

So, the village came up with a clever plan: list the town on the National Register of Historic Places. This adds NO regulation to homeowners and provides NO protection against teardowns, but addresses the media embarrassment. It also would allow ONLY THOSE HOMEOWNERS WHO WANT TO to take advantage of the Illinois Property Tax Assessment Freeze program. Upside without a downside.

Hmm... I've picked a couple of heavy topics there, so I'll end with a couple of lighter ones:

Personally, the greatest value of the Attingham Summer School is experiencing the interplay between art, furniture, rooms, buildings, and landscape. It truly points out the distinctions among historic sites, museums, and art galleries.

If this sounds like it might be up your alley, the application deadline for next year's course is January 31, 2009.

Sarah Heffern is the social media strategist for the National Trust’s Public Affairs team. While she embraces all things online and pixel-centric, she’s also a hard-core building hugger, having fallen for preservation in a fifth grade “Built Environment” class. Follow her on Twitter at @smheffern.

Detailed information on the tours -- as well as an opportunity to contribute -- are available at www.farnsworthhouse.org. And, In the event that you can't make it to Illinois for a tour, the staff of the Farnsworth House have started a blog to share the progress of the restoration.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

Sarah Heffern is the social media strategist for the National Trust’s Public Affairs team. While she embraces all things online and pixel-centric, she’s also a hard-core building hugger, having fallen for preservation in a fifth grade “Built Environment” class. Follow her on Twitter at @smheffern.

The PreservationNation blog features stories, news, and notes from the National Trust for Historic Preservation as well as the wider preservation movement. Have a great story to share? Email us! And visit PreservationNation.org to learn more about people saving places.

The Fine Print

While the writers of the PreservationNation blog are on staff at the National Trust for Historic Preservation or affiliated organizations, their posts are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.